A Brief Look to the Minority Issues in Turkey Essay -- turkish democrac

Currently, Turkey stands between the worlds of Europe and the Middle East, in other words West and East. As Turkey prepares to join the EU, the county’s problematic relationship with democracy needs to be re-examined. Under Turkey’s current system, in operation for nine decades, the country has not been able to establish a stable democratic regime. Since the beginning of the republic, Turkey has created three constitutions. In addition, over the past 40 years, Turkey has faced four military coups or attempts thereof, the most recent in 1997. The EU is certainly not interested in the inclusion of a military state within democratic structures. Yet, as it stands today, the formal democracy of Turkey is notably weakened by its traditional reliance on a paternalistic military. Not only is the state of democracy in Turkey important in light of its EU application, it also carries vital international significance. If democratization can truly take hold and stabilize the country , Turkey could become a model state demonstrating the potential for congruency between democratic and Islamic values. Currently the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) is trying to make up the Republic’s first constitution without a military stance. It is evident for Turkey that without the elimination of Turkish military power from civilian life, there is no way to cure undemocratic problems within the country, for example, the recognition and protection of minorities. Since its establishment in 1923, the Republic of Turkey has faced severe minority rights issues. In that year, the allies (France, the UK, Italy, Greece etc.) and the new republic signed the Treaty of Peace in Lausanne, which included minority subjects. However, until today the parties of the treaty have acc... ...l under the category of either ethnic or religious minorities such as Kurds, Laz and Zaza...etc. Now, the groups along with their problems will be briefly examined. Numbers related to the population will also be provided. Works Cited Oran, B. Tà ¼rkiye’de AzÄ ±nlÄ ±klar: Kavramlar, Teori, Lozan, Ä °Ãƒ § Mevzuat, Ä °Ãƒ §tihat, Uygulama [Minorities in Turkey: Concepts, Theory, Lausanne, Domestic Law, Jurisprudence and Practice] (Istanbul, Ä °letiÅŸim, 2005) at 48-49. Oran, at 48. Will, K. Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights (New York, Oxford, 1995) at 1. United Nations, ICCPR, Human Rights Committee, â€Å"General Comment No.31 [80] Nature of the General Legal Obligation Imposed on States Parties to the Covenant: 26/05/2004. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.13. (General Comments)† online: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CCPR.C21.Rev.1.Add.13En?Opendocument